Fresh start for Jubilee with new Board

Happy New Year! We hope the festive season has been a time of joy with family or friends. At Jubilee we have had some end-of-year fun with our client and staff Christmas parties in mid-December. Both events provided a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends, reconnect and look back on the year that has been.

And now the new year is upon us – a time when we can look forward to what lies ahead. It is a time of beginnings – fresh starts, expectancy, hope and promise.

For the staff, management and Board of Jubilee Community Care, we carry that hope and promise into 2023. Late last year marked the beginning of a new chapter in the life of our organisation. At the Annual General Meeting held late November, members elected a new Board to take the organisation into the new year. All three members elected on the night have been Jubilee Board members before (with a collective 34 years of service between them!). They bring to the Board much experience, knowledge and passion. Three other new members have since been appointed, making a Board of six.

The new Board met for the first time in December 2022. It comprises (*elected): Dr Judy Salecich* as President; Sue Paulsen* as Vice-President; Dr Sue Colen* as a Member; Christopher Cox as Secretary; Michael Harvey as Treasurer; and Neale Menelaws as another Member.

The new Board will work together with our staff to oversee the rebuilding and renewal of Jubilee Community Care – our standard of client service, our staffing levels and staff morale, and our reputation.

One of its first responsibilities will be to appoint a new Executive Director. At present Dr Gary Day is fulfilling the role in an acting capacity. The Board aims to have a permanent Executive Director in place by late January 2023.

The new year lies ahead. Let us all look forward with expectancy and hope, and the promise of good things to come in 2023.

Picture courtesy of Ray White Commercial

Earlier this year Jubilee Community Care realised a longheld goal with the purchase of a second property in Thallon St, Sherwood. The restored Queenslander was used as a respite centre until it closed at the end of 2021.

The new centre will help Jubilee further achieve its purpose to enrich later life by providing personalised services, community connections, education and support for older people and their families.

We are now planning what services and activities will be run out of the centre in 2023 and will keep you up to date on developments in future newsletters. So watch this space! Or, contact us if there is something you would like to see being run at the centre. We’d love your ideas.

As part of our work towards welcoming you to the centre we are looking for quality lounge chairs, dining tables, bookshelves and other furniture to furnish the interior and its large veranda. Can you help? To discuss any donations please contact Jubilee Community Care Brisbane on 3871 3220.

In light of recent cyber attacks on big businesses such as Optus and Medibank now is the time to review your cyber security.

The Australian Government’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has tips on how to protect yourself online and what to do if you do fall victim to a cybercrime. Visit the Individuals & Families section of the website at www.cyber.gov.au/

Cybercrimes may commonly include hacking your computer system through malicious software, scam emails, online scams, identity theft and unauthorised access to your personal data through a business security breach (like the recent Optus incident).

Cybercriminals hack devices using known weaknesses in systems or apps. Updates have security upgrades to fix these weaknesses so turn on automatic updates on your mobile phone, laptop and desktop computer.

You can also use multi-factor authentication to secure online accounts. Other tips include setting secure passwords and watching out for scams via email, SMS text message, phone calls and social media.

If you do fall victim there is help. Cybercrimes can be reported to the ACSC at www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/report or by phoning 1300 292 371.

You can report scams to Scamwatch at www.scamwatch.gov.au/ or if you have experienced identity theft contact IDCARE, a free government-funded service which will work with you to develop a specific response plan to your situation and support you through the process. Visit www.idcare.org/ or phone 1800 595 160

Do you need more support in the home? Have you found yourself needing extra transport or social support services or has your health declined to the point that you can no longer do activities you once did? Are you caring for someone whose needs are now becoming too much and you need some help?

Jubilee Community Care is here for you. If your circumstances have changed please feel free to speak to your coordinator to discuss what options might be available to you. You can phone us on 3871 3220.

The Australian Government is seeking feedback on its National Dementia Action Plan 2023-2033. The purpose of the feedback is to inform the development of the plan and ensure the voices of people with lived experience of dementia are reflected in Australia’s priorities for action.

The plan aims to provide better coordinated approaches to dementia risk reduction, early diagnosis and improvements in services for people living with dementia and their carers.

People can request a copy of the Plan via phone on 1800 565 789 or by visiting www.consultations.health.gov.au/aged-care-division/ndap-public-consultation/

Feedback can be given in several different ways. Either complete an online survey (approx 15 minutes), email dementiaplan@health.gov.au; mail your comments to National Dementia Action Plan, MDP 765, GPO Box 9848, Canberra ACT 2601; or phone 1800 565 789.